Mary Bennett Weaver

Mary Weaver Bennett currently serves as the Director of the Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service at Southern Utah University in Cedar City.

Before moving to southern Utah in 2014, she spent 28 years in Washington, D.C. she worked in a range of government and industry positions including the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Most recently, she served as the Director of Government and Industry Relations for the Electronic Transactions Association where she led federal and state public affairs strategy and industry representation. She’s also worked as a public affairs television writer, created Washington-based political education programs for business executives, and served on congressional and presidential campaigns.

Growing up in Pennsylvania, her family was always involved in politics and she started going with her parents to work voter registration drives at the age of five. Her role models included Rep. Shirley Chisolm, Rep. Bella Abzug (getting special dispensation to wear hats on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives), Rep. Barbara Jordan, and Rep. Geraldine Ferraro. A few years later she added then-Rep. Nancy Pelosi and then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein to that list.

“As we can see, women make a strong difference in public policy. Their voices are essential. Women make the best candidates. As a majority of the US population, we are not near where we need to have proportionate or even equal representation. Preparing women to seek public office and clearing barriers (real or imagined) is what I admire about Utah Women Run and I look forward to my service on the Board. I love to see young people inspired by women in elected office today - you never know what’s going to remain in a young girl’s mind 40 years later.”